


What About You?

by robron_til_the_end



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Accidents, Hospitals, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-22
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2018-08-24 00:11:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8348350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robron_til_the_end/pseuds/robron_til_the_end
Summary: Prompted on tumblr after Friday's episode. An alternative look at Friday. Two or three chapters I think.





	1. Chapter 1

“Robert?”

“No.”

“Robert, please.”

“No, I’m not going to tell you again, Vic.” She settled down into a silence which meant she hadn’t dropped the argument, but would let it go for now. They both looked at Aaron, still unconscious, but more importantly, still breathing. Robert

“Did they say when he might wake up?” Vic pushed.

“It’s an if more than a when,” Robert said quietly. “I can’t leave him. Do you understand that? If I leave him and he dies…” Robert voice broke on the last word. “If that happens, I need to be here. I’ll never forgive myself if I’m not. So stop telling me to leave, stop telling me to eat, just stop.”

“Fine,” she said quietly. “I’ll stop. Shall I get you a coffee as a compromise?”

“Please,” Robert said quietly. He reached for Aaron’s hand and held it gently, for now, he could do nothing but wait.

* * *

 

Aaron felt so tired as he started to come back to himself. And in pain. Yep, definitely painful there, his entire abdomen felt white hot with it. He wanted the world to just stop for a few moments, send him back to sleep where he could drift and dream and float again. One thought stopped him. _A ring._ Robert had a ring. Sure, it’d be at the bottom of the lake by now, but he had a ring. Did Robert seriously want to get married to him? Before he could look at that too closely, he thought of something else. _Trapped_. He was completely trapped in the car, water level rising, panic and complete fear tearing at him. And Robert had absolutely refused to leave him. That probably deserved him to at least try and open his eyes, stop the idiot from worrying about him. His eyelids just felt so heavy, though. But he focused, flickered, then he managed it. But then, hospital ceilings weren’t that interesting either. So he had to find the energy to turn his head. That felt Herculean right now. Then he felt the sensation, someone holding his right hand, the gentle touch, the weight of his palm. Aaron knew that hand well, he knew it was Robert touching him. Well, at least he knew which way he had to turn. Inch by slow and heavy inch, he managed it. Robert’s head was hanging on his chest, clearly asleep, his arm reaching towards the bed, loosely holding onto Aaron’s hand.

“Hey…” Aaron said quietly through a throat that feels like sandpaper. Nothing. He squeezed Robert’s hand tightly, trying to get him to move. That didn’t do it either. Sighing, Aaron thought this was so damn typical of Robert. He always had to do everything on his terms, bloody control freak. “Wake up. Or have you been sitting here for hours just for kicks?”

Suddenly talking was easier. His throat was hoarse, but he could get the words out now. “Robert, come on.” Nothing appreciatively changed, but somehow Aaron knew something wasn’t right. Robert was too still, too quiet. He always fidgeted when he slept, something that had wound Aaron up a lot until he’d got used to it. Especially when he wasn’t sleeping in a bed.

“Fine, this better be worth it,” Aaron said through gritted teeth. He sat up gingerly, wincing at the pain of moving. He really shouldn’t be doing this so soon after surgery, but he gave Robert a shake. He didn’t move. Didn’t so much as twitch, and even a heavy sleeper like Robert, that meant something was wrong. Sleeping in a hospital chair couldn’t be comfy in the first place. He twisted away from him pulling his hand free, (Something else which should have disturbed Robert but didn’t) and reached behind him, searching for the call button. He found it and pushed it hard. A nurse came in, smiling when she saw Aaron awake.

“Oh, wondered when you’d be back with us,” she said happily. Too chirpy for a nurse, that was for sure.

“Something’s wrong with him,” Aaron said quickly. “He’s not moving, I think something’s really, really wrong.”

The nurse looked at him like he was crazy, but Aaron’s face made it clear he wasn’t. She went to Robert, with the attitude that she was simply indulging him. “Come on, wake up,” she said, giving him a little shake. Robert again didn’t move and the nurse frowned. “Sir, come on.” The nurse moved so she could feel his pulse, and Aaron could see that didn’t panic her, which made some of the tension in Aaron disappear. _Alive then. Stop thinking the worst._

“Did anyone check him?” Aaron asked, panic making him speak loudly, so his throat would hurt him tomorrow from pushing it. “He was in a car crash, did anyone look him over?”

“He wouldn’t let us,” she said, examining Robert more closely. “We did try but he refused to leave you.”

“What do…?”

“Aaron, push the button again, don’t let go.” He quickly did what she asked, making another nurse appear. The first one said a lot of medical nonsense that Aaron was far too doped up to follow, much less understand, and within minutes the room was filled with doctors, all of them manhandling Robert, so he was laying on the floor. However, there was a gap between the doctors, and Aaron saw them cut through Robert’s shirt. His entire chest that Aaron knew so well had gone deep and painful red. The skin had completely changed colour, the pale skin gone. Aaron couldn’t even see the freckles he loved to kiss.

“He’s bleeding internally, must have been for hours, we need to get him into surgery,” a doctor said quickly.

“Is he going to be okay?” Aaron asked, fear completely enveloping him. No one answered him, all of their attention was on Robert now. Aaron couldn’t shout. Even if he wanted to, his throat was too raw, he wasn’t physically able to. Aaron watched in stunned horror as Robert was loaded onto a gurney and wheeled from the room. The whole scene had happened in moments. Within a couple of minutes of Aaron opening his eyes. How long had Robert been there “sleeping?” How long had everyone just left him, thinking he was getting some rest. Aaron wasn’t stupid, he knew he’d been unconscious for a while, just how groggy he felt told him that much. God, could it be too late? Aaron could feel the tears rolling down his face, but had no idea when he’d started crying. Was this it? Was fate just destined to take one of them? _You don’t believe in fate,_ he told himself. But right now, that seemed irrelevant. Because Robert was in serious danger, and he had nothing to do but wait.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just two chapters. Thank you so much for the encouraging words on this one!!

The minutes dragged on so slowly, Aaron lying in bed panicking. No one had been to see him, to give him an update. Aaron was just debating getting out of bed, trying to drag his bruised and battered body into an upright position when the door opened.

“The nurses said you were awake!” Chas said, beaming from ear to ear, speaking incredibly quickly. “I was just making sure Liv had something to eat, Robert wanted to sit with you. Woah, what happened?” she added after having seen his face.

“Robert…” Aaron managed to get out, his eyes watering again.

“Where’s he got to?” Chas said easily.

“Diving into more sunken cars?” Liv said acidly, earning a glare from Chas. Aaron didn’t understand, didn’t want to. Some things were more important.

“He’s in surgery.” Chas and Liv looked at him blankly. “I woke up, and he was sat there. I thought he was sleeping, but apparently he’d been bleeding for hours.” Such a long string of words made Aaron’s throat itch painfully and he swallowed uncomfortably. “He didn’t wake up.”

“Well… how…?”

“How long had you left him with me?” Aaron asked, desperate to know.

“Not more than half an hour,” Chas said. “He was awake, he was fine. He just wanted to sit with you. I didn’t see the harm in…”

“Did anyone insist on a doctor checking him out?” Aaron said, with as much anger as he could against the hoarseness in his throat.

“Vic did,” Liv said. “He said he was fine. Told her to stop fussing.”

“Well, he’s clearly not fine! He’s…” Aaron gave up, feeling the anger pulling in his chest. Getting upset wasn’t going to help. “Can you find out how he’s doing?”

“Yes,” Chas said instantly, seeing how upset Aaron was. She squeezed his hand but didn’t waste any more time. Yes, Aaron had just woken up from surgery, but she knew the way to keep Aaron calm was give him information on Robert. Liv stayed with him.

“Hi,” she said weakly. “We’ve been so worried about you.”

“I’m fine,” Aaron said, trying to distract himself. “See? All in one piece.” 

“You might not have been though.”

“If it weren’t for Robert, I wouldn’t be,” Aaron said honestly. “I…” he stopped himself. He didn’t want his little sister knowing that Aaron had given up, had told Robert to leave him and save himself.

“It’s bad, isn’t it?” Aaron said, seeing his mum come back a few minutes later, a concerned look on her face.

“He’s having an op,” she said. “It looks like it’ll be a few hours before we know what’s going on.”

“What…?”

“His chest. They think he suffered some damage in the crash and the man was too stubborn to tell anyone he was in pain,” Chas said with disapproval. “He’ll be fine,” she added to Aaron.

“You don’t know that.”

“I do know that,” she said. “Now, you have to focus on yourself.” Aaron scoffed. “I mean it. Even when he was hurt, Robert wouldn’t leave you. The best thing you can do right now, is try not to worry and get better.”

“How can I not worry?!” Aaron said in disbelief.

“Let me try something else,” Chas said. “We’ve got hours to wait for news, some sleep might not be the worst thing.”

“You think I can sleep?!” Aaron asked in complete disbelief.

“You’re on medication, I know you can,” Chas said with a slight smile. “I’ll wake you the second I hear anything.”

“You need to call Vic,” Aaron said quietly, trying to calm down, trying to say or do anything that would ease the terror running through him.

“I’ll do that,” Chas said. “Rest, my brave boy.” Aaron tried to roll his eyes at that, but couldn’t manage it. His entire body felt heavy and he briefly wondered if they’d given him more drugs through his IV. Because how could he sleep when Robert was on an operating table? He didn’t get the answer to that, fading into sleep.

* * *

 

  
“Robert?” Aaron croaked out.

“He’s fine.” Aaron opened his eyes to see his mum forcing a smile at him. “Should be awake within the next two hours.”

“You said you’d wake me,” Aaron said, with as much criticism as he could put into that sentence with his sore throat.

“I was just about to,” Chas said. “The doctor just left. Vic’s with him, he’ll be fine.”

“Sure?”

“Yes,” Chas said. “Positive.”

“Okay.” Aaron closed his eyes, not to go back to sleep, but because he hoped his mum would leave him alone. He knew he himself had just come out of surgery, but he needed to see Robert. And he knew Chas wouldn’t let him.

* * *

 

“How is he?” Vic squeaked, looking up at the door to see Aaron, leaning against the door frame for support.

“You should be in bed!” she hissed.

“How is he?” he repeated, coming to sit down on Robert’s other side. Robert did look as though he was sleeping, no mask on his face, no tube down his throat. Surely that meant he was doing well? Aaron took his hand very gently in his.

“They’re hopeful,” Vic said. “Well, when the doctor isn’t criticising him for being so careless anyway.”

“Good,” Aaron said.

“Is there any point…”

“No,” Aaron said, cutting her off. “I’m not leaving him.”

“Honestly, the pair of you!” Vic exploded. “Need your heads banging together.”

“Maybe,” Aaron admitted. His eyes swung to a small black box on the table. He didn’t open it, didn’t even go so much as touching it, but he couldn’t tear his eyes off of it. The hope of a future for them both. Robert wanted that. So did he.

“The idiot went back for it,” Vic said, seeing his gaze. “Bleeding internally into his chest after a car crash, and what does he do? Goes diving in a freezing lake.”

“I had to.” Both Aaron and Vic swung to look at him, talking. He opened his eyes, then focused on Aaron. “You’re awake,” Robert said.

“I could say the same to you.”

“What happened?”

“Next time we’re in a car crash, let a doctor take a look at you,” Aaron said bluntly. “You could have avoided all of this.”

“You were bleeding into your chest,” Vic said in explanation. “Lost consciousness and had to be rushed into surgery.”

“That’ll explain the ten ton weight on my lungs then,” Robert said, his eyes not leaving Aaron’s once. “How are you?”

“I’ll just… go,” Vic said, knowing she was the third wheel. Once the door closed, Aaron turned to him.

“I’m fine.” Robert blinked at him as if daring him to tell the truth. “Okay, I hurt like hell, but I’m okay. I’d be a lot less fine if you hadn’t got me out.”

“Yeah, about that,” Robert said. “Don’t you ever, ever tell me to leave you to die again. You just… said it like that was something I’d ever consider.”

“I couldn’t see any way out,” Aaron admitted, shaking his head slightly. “There wasn’t any need for you to die too.”

“You think I could leave you to drown? God, Aaron, what do you think of me?”

“You’re stubborn,” Aaron said quietly. “You beat me any day.”

“Then why aren’t you in your hospital bed?” Robert asked. Aaron let out one of his quiet chuckles and Robert smiled at the sound. “I did mean it by the way.” Robert’s eyes flicked to the ring box and Aaron sighed.

“Shall we talk about that when we’re both out of here?” Aaron said quietly. He could see the disappointment on Robert’s face, even through the medication and the painkillers.  
“I just think… do either of us want to get engaged on such an awful day?” Aaron asked. “We were in a car crash, we almost drowned, both of us have had surgery, neither of us can really move… it’s not exactly the best start is it? It doesn’t mean I’ll say no.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Robert said, hope in his eyes. Aaron smiled at him but was prevented from saying anything else by a nurse coming in.

“Right, he’s awake, you need to get back to your own hospital bed,” she said firmly to Aaron.

“You heard her,” Robert said. He wanted to be with Aaron, but he remembered pulling Aaron out of the car, and how seriously scared he had been. A few more seconds and he probably wouldn’t be here.

“Fine,” Aaron said. He kissed Robert very gently before allowing the nurse to chivvy him back to his own room. He knew they had a point, he was in agony. He just hadn’t want to show it.

 


End file.
